Bobrovsky
 

It's summer and there isn't a lot of hockey talk (outside of the Nash trade / Weber RFA signing etc.) so this is really the only reason I am posting this.. kind of a brain storm but worth getting some additional opinions on the matter.

1st of all Columbus is a mess of a franchise however I am seeing something that might be worth looking into and potentially exploiting.

Facts:
- Columbus probably won't win many games
- Colombus is worse now than they were prior to the Nash trade
- No one is to excited about Bobrovsky

There is some silver lining though..
Columbus seems to be (even though Howson will most likely screw it up) building a very solid blue line with Johnson, Wisniewski, Nikitin, Erixson, and Murray - granted a lot of this talent is offensive.

I am thinking of throwing a draft pick (late rounds) on Bobrovsky and seeing if maybe just maybe the defense will come together and Bobrobsky can be a new version of Mike Smith.

I doubt Bobrovsky will even come close to pulling off what Smith pulled off this year...but I agree with the general sentiment of this post!

I think Bobrovsky is worth a late round gamble for sure...especially in deeper leagues where goalies are extremely valuable.

I must agree. Their D is actually going to be quite good for the next several years. Why not do it for a late round pick?

Keep in mind that Columbus has been rumored to be among those interested in trading for Jonathan Bernier, in which case Bobrovsky's role becomes at best a 1A/1B. I also don't see Bobrovsky being a good bet for this year's Mike Smith, simply because the Phoenix system is like no other. If you're looking for a guy who might put together a really good season but might not cost you as much as a top tier goalie, I like Dubnyk's or Lindback's situations a lot better.

Nobody knows what the situation will be yet, but if you can get him for a late round pick, do it. He may not be this year's Mike Smith BUT he has the talent to succeed somewhere.

I agree I think Lindback is better and on a better team however most people will be more willing to gamble with Lindback than they would Bobrovsky because of that.

I don't think anyone really thought Mike Smith would be this year's Mike Smith either.. that being said I don't see Bobovsky being that good but its the off season so I'm bored :p I will roll the dice with it I think.. probably never let him into my line-up unless he is doing well haha.

Agreed about people being more willing to gamble on Lindback...I have a feeling people may actually REACH on Lindback due to high expectations for him now becoming a starter on a team that has so much firepower up front. People forget that he has never handled a heavy workload...and I think people that expect him to start 60 games for the Lightning will likely be horribly disappointed.

The max number of games he has played in was 42 games in the SEL...logging 2537 minutes. Bobrovsky has already started 52 games before in the NHL in one season.

That being said, the biggest difference between the two is that Lindback is now the Lightning's 'golden boy' as they're clearly looking to him to be a long-term option for them. In Columbus, I think the golden boy is still Steve Mason until he coughs it up...which, if the past two years has taught us anything, happens pretty early in the year. What Mason has going for him though was he actually finished the season on a very strong note.

As for people not expecting Mike Smith playing as well as he did...most were pretty skeptical, while some (including Justin Goldman) were fairly confident that his big body being utilized by a goalie coach like Sean Burke under Tippet's system would yield some solid results. Probably not elite results like he did but good nonetheless.

Great thread though, I enjoy talking goalies, even though I completely suck at talking about them lol. :D

Since the start of December Bobrovsky played 9 games in KHL. He won 8 of those games, allowed only 10 goals and had 4 shutouts! He's been on fire and is definitely someone to look closely in one-year leagues. If he carries that performance over to Columbus, he'll grab that #1 job quickly and might put up some great numbers atleast for the first few weeks.

One thing to keep in mind for the future of Columbus players in fantasy: the hiring of John Davidson in October to oversee the entire hockey side of things there is a very good thing. Seeing what he did in St Louis, I think we'll see a slow, steady upward trend for the Jackets. I own Bobrovsky in my roto keeper, have him stashed on my farm still, but am hoping he'll grab the starting job this year and go from there.

Bob's been clearly better so far this season... The thing holding him back is a below average team in front of him. However if they improve going forward, he could be a very good option in the future and is a marginal option now.